Are all of today's teens/20-somethings dealing with entitlement issues?

[TMW2010]

I do have friends who have degrees and think they should get higher paying jobs.

I had one friend who is a counselor at the drug clinic where I was an Lpn. She has her bachelors in pyschology and she complained when she found out that we LPN's made a good $10 more than a person with a degree.

Supply and demand, baby. Supply and demand. Colleges are spitting out lots of psych majors. As far as Lpn's, not so many. I am 34 and in most places I was the YOUNGEST Lpn.

I had to comment on this. As a Psych major I knew what I was getting into. If you look at the job prospects for psych majors with just an undergrad degree, its highly amusing. You get things like 'Admin Assistant', 'Clerical Worker', 'Small Business Owner'... Basically all jobs that you could get without the degree. In the psychology field, it is only once you get a Masters or beyond that the doors open for you. Most states require a Masters to become a LPC, LMFT, so on. Almost all (if not all) states require a doctoral degree (some with the strict APA Accrediation of the degree program) to actually be a psychologist. Unless they have connections or a job set up for them when they finish, just getting an undergrad degree in Psych only sets you up to be an educated fry-cook basically.

This is why I, personally, started shopping around and compling information for Masters programs *before I ever took a single undergrad psych class or test*. I researched the field and the outcomes before jumping into it and I know what expectations to have (and not have) upon completion of my degrees.

With the internet and instant access information in this day and age (looking at the type of job openings in one's area for a certain field and the requirements for those jobs, IE RESEARCH!, it only takes a little bit of time to do,) it's hard for me to understand the people who come out of college with an undergrad degree and then seem outraged when it doesn't land them a CEO position at a Fortune 500 company.

But back to April's comment again. I also have the (dubious?) distinction of working at a software development firm who's main product is Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software. I work closely with hospitals and doctor's offices on a daily basis - both the medical staff as well as the office staff. I must say that it's amazing the turnover these places have in their nursing positions. But then again, the building that my offices are in is also the home to the local campus of Brown Mackie College... So I get to see the ummm... Interesting... people that attend school here day to day that are paying $27-35000 for a state accredited (not even nationally accredited - as of right now, their degrees are worthless pieces of paper outside the state) associates degree as a medical assistant or ocupational therapy assistant (not even a Nursing degree/certificate). These students are going for the easy money because the medical field NEEDS PEOPLE!!!!! (No, they don't need just 'people', they need skilled and trained Nurses, PAs and Doctors.)

It's kinda sad actually.

[threedogs]

No matter how you're sad and blue, there's always someone who has it worse than you.

That was my mom's theory! Very Italian. I did a Sociology paper on my family history once - found a quote of an old Italian saying. Was something like, "If you see your neighbor's house on fire, get a bucket of water to help put it out - because it could spread to yours."

Says it all, hehehehe.

~ ~ ~

Maniac - I feel bad for you!

Well, lets see if it works: I was going to run a marathon this summer but I sprained my ankle and now my foot is carrying excess water. This has never happened to me before. If I shake my foot, I actually hear a SWISH.

I hate to say this, as this is nearly always the last resort for me, but I'm going to give you some (good) momma's nagging:

Make sure you see a Doctor about that!

Now if there was any way I could send you some chicken soup - that's always a good back-up plan! (don't know if you're experiencing the heat & humidity we are, but I'd drink it chilled at this point!)

I bought an Ipod that doesn't work off of ebay and the seller will not respond to my requests for a return.

Keep sending emails to the seller - don't give up! Make sure all correspondence is through the eBay site - and do a search to find out how to file a complaint w/eBay.

What to do if you don't receive an item or it doesn't match the seller's description

My dishes need to be cleaned and my butler doesn't exist.

Fill that sink full of hot, sudsy water & let those babies soak! Yes, I am an expert in getting up-to-date on a kitchen full of dirty dishes. It's frustrating, too, because I usually wash my own dishes & have two favorite cups that are just mine - but my adult son keeps using every plate & cup in the apt.

My plan is to pack everything away except two or maybe three of each. Ha - then he'll have to wash his own!! :reddevil:

That said, I must say that my kids aren't in the entitled camp. Grew up w/very little, almost nothing. My oldest had a brief time trying to keep up with some of the spoiled brats (there were a few in our mixed, mostly blue-collar neighborhood).

They all work hard now (they're adults now). The son that sort-of lives w/me (he's in a studio downstairs, but the kitchen - and tv, which we seldom watch, btw - is up here) wants to go to med school. He's in our local community college. So far he has a 4.0 GPA - and he's dyslexic. Taught himself how to read at 15 (he's 28 now). My other son works his butt off as a bartender - he's also going to a community college & will be entering his 4 yr college soon. My daughters are doing well, too - and working very hard.

I think it all came from having a tough childhood, living in mostly blue collar areas, and not taking anything for granted.

My mom & dad grew up during THE Depression - and I never forgot what they taught me.

[ideafx]

I'm tired of hearing about it.

Previous generations need to spare us their sanctimonious claptrap. Boomers reaped the benefits of the largest credit the bubble the world has ever seen, while decent paying jobs were once available for high school graduates. Those days are long gone.

I jumped at the first $30k/year job offer after finishing my degree, but most of my friends weren't so lucky. I know a 24 year old who recently graduated with a BS+MS in mechanical engineering from a top engineering school in the Southeast. He's currently working as an HVAC technician for $8.50/hour in Florida. My 24 year old cousin graduated with an BS in accounting/MS in tax from an AACSB accredited university three years ago. Despite passing every section of the CPA exam with flying colors, she's still working as a medical billing clerk for $11/hour.

The Colgate grad mentioned in the article is no different from any other generation of rich kid. He could afford to wait for a better job offer because his parents are well-off.

[Maniac Craniac]

Maniac - I feel bad for you!

My dishes are done, my ankle is fine and the seller finally responded.
[/QUOTE]

Previous generations need to spare us their sanctimonious claptrap.

FYI, I'm not of a "previous generation" and my comments are in concord with what they are saying. It's not just the rich kids, in fact, in the poor neighborhoods I have lived in, the youth have felt equally if not more entitled. This is the same attitude that makes people keep wallets that they find, have relationships that are far out of equilibrium, and even become obese.

[rickyjo]

I, frankly, have to essentially agree in a more reserved tone with ideafx. People IN GENERAL and not of any specific age group would do well to wake up to the real world and be happy with what they can get. The most entitled people in my life (and I'm not saying this is the norm as I suspect it is fairly equally spread) are 40 and 50 somethings who over-extended themselves and don't want to give up what they couldn't afford. Consumerism upsets me. I hate hearing about your $100 bottles of champagne and $1000 days in Vegas. It makes me sick that people are starving amongst this excess, and then the people participating in the excess lose their house due to sheer stupidity and waste. banghead

Also, parents who expect to be able to provide somebody with everything they want and then stop on a dime generating a radical life-style shift are nothing short of foolish. The shift must be gradual, or just don't spoil your kid to begin with. Nobody adjusts well to a major negative life change, especially a drastic, sudden, unanticipated one. I think that has more to do with it than anything.

I moved out at early 16, I've lived among and seen some shit I can barely believe. I've slept in the parks (BTW, don't do that if you are ever homeless, I guess they can arrest you), I've done the drill. Ungrateful, ignorant people who don't believe in bad luck or 2nd chances (until it happens to them, then the world is so unfair because they need to get a smaller house) are going to be the death of us.

[april004]

100 Thing Challenge - David Michael Bruno

This is what i am trying to do. Live with just 100 things. That's it.

[blu2blu]

ideafx you hit the nail on the head. As a 25 year old I am completley sick of the soapboxing done by the "previous generation." Let's not forget which generation got us into the current economic mess. Now opportunity for my generation is destroyed becuase the old folks wanted to live to excess and spend money they didn't have, but the milleniels are the ones with entitlement issues? Is this some kind of joke?

Todays generation has been fighting the longest and costliest war this nation has seen since Vietnam. Im in Afghanistan right now and I'm pretty sick of waking up to an explosion and wondering if it was our guys setting off UXOs or the Taliban paying us a visit. I'm also sick of laying in the dirt listening to an attack siren and hoping the incoming rocket doesen't land on my head. All this and I have it cushy and easy compared to a lot of folks over here, many of which aren't old enough to have a beer.

My generation grew up with Nintendo, Sega, Playstation and the internet. We are more comfortable with computers than old people are with complaining. We will captalize on that close relationship with technology and produce wonders that can't yet be imagined. The world is no closer to doomed than it ever has been. In fact I would say we are safer now than we were during the cold war. As scary as these terrorists are they haven't brought us to the brink of destruction like the baby boomers did. Does anyone here remember the Cuban missile crisis? How about all those riots during the civil rights movement? McCarthyism? Clearly the new generation is the troubled one though!

Wake up people.

[TMW2010]

Yes, Blu... There is a lot of similarity between your situation, and that of the original article, a guy getting his degree (paid for by his grandparents, so he's got no loans to worry about himself), and being out of work for years living off his parents and deciding not to take a $40k/year job because it doesn't suit him while he holds out for something better.

A lot of similarity.

/sarcasm off

[blu2blu]

Yes, Blu... There is a lot of similarity between your situation, and that of the original article, a guy getting his degree (paid for by his grandparents, so he's got no loans to worry about himself), and being out of work for years living off his parents and deciding not to take a $40k/year job because it doesn't suit him while he holds out for something better.

A lot of similarity.

/sarcasm off

I will take this as a compliment.

My comments were directed toward the more general discussion about the current generation being a failure rather than the original subject of the article. I agree the kid needs to get off his butt and take what he can get and go from there. I just don't like the posts that condem my generation as a failure with "entitlement issues." I felt that was all obvious from my post but perhaps I needed to spell it out a bit more for some readers so here goes:

/begin my point
Every generation has lazy free-loaders. Mine does and yours did too. Just because this man has chosen to live off of his parents does not mean our entire generation is worthless. When you were in your twenties did you have any peers that stayed with their parents or frequently moved back home? I suspect young people moving home when they can't make it is not a phenomena unique the the current generation.
/end my point

Clear enough?

[TMW2010]

Blu -

While my discourses may have covered a lot of territory, I thought I clarified my position in the matter back in post #19 of the thread.

Alright... Admittedly, I was overly broad and possibly imflamatory when I used the word 'ALL' in the title... I know there's good kids out there that are busting their butts to try to get somewhere in life.

I just really was irked by the kid in the article... 'I'm sending out 5 resumes a week'... Umm... I was laid off a couple years back by the bank I was working at in one of their many rounds of cuts... I live 1200 miles away from my family, I didn't have to luxury of being a burden on my parents. I was sending out 5 resumes a DAY... Working my tail off to find a new job. Which I did find a new position and it sure didn't take me 2 years, and I sure didn't turn down any $40k a year jobs during that point because they didn't suit me.. And that was prior to my degree work. Yes, I did have 15 years of experience and my certs on my side which did work in my favor.

Even in the market today, there're jobs out there. I know quite a few of my coworkers at the bank who survived the early rounds of cuts, just to get hit recently at the height of the job market fiasco... And they were able to rebound and get into positions, even if they took a huge salary hit to get that job.